What does at-risk mean?

Factors that make a youth more at risk of experiencing negative health or lifestyle outcomes include, but are not limited to: challenges at home, difficulty in school, conflict with peers , and less access to resources within their community.

How and why are youth referred to your organization?

 Mentors are thoroughly vetted during the intake process. Federal and State background checks are completed, references are reviewed, and a lengthy interview is conducted to ensure the mentor is qualified and prepared to take on the role of friend, advocate, and role model. Parents and youth also complete comprehensive interviews to help us find the best match.

Are the kids forced to participate?

Participation in all programming with MDP is 100% voluntary. Youth who are matched with a mentor have demonstrated commitment and are excited for the opportunity to have a mentor.

 Have the youth in your programs experienced abuse or neglect?

Traumatic experiences such as abuse and neglect occur in families from various ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds. It is possible that a mentor could be matched with a youth who has experienced abuse or other forms of trauma. We train our volunteer mentors to recognize the signs of abuse. Mentors immediately report all disclosures of abuse or any concerns to their case manager for support with additional resources or interventions. Mentors are friends, advocates, and role models. Mentors are not expected to act as social workers, counselors, or investigators.

What if I don't have the time?

A big part of mentoring is exposing a youth to new things – including activities that you already do in your everyday life. We ask that volunteers spend an average of 3 hours per week with the youth they are matched with. We encourage Senior Partners to simply include their Junior Partners in their lives by taking them to run errands, cooking dinner together, walking the dog, gardening, etc.

What if I’m on a tight budget?

The most important aspect of a mentoring relationship is the time you spend together. We encourage Senior Partners to do free, or low-cost, activities with the youth they are mentoring. We also inform Senior Partners of free and low-cost activities within their communities on a regular basis. Keep your mentoring activities affordable by attending monthly group partnership activities which are free to partnerships as well as being in touch with your case manager for ideas.